The present disclosure is related to providing power and electronic functionality to a wheeled cycle, such as a bicycle, and more specifically to methods and apparatus for retaining in a seat post of such a cycle power cells, circuitry, and related elements.
For many years there has been a trend toward the miniaturization of mechanical and electrical elements. In parallel, there has also been a trend toward bringing under electronic system control that which previously was manually controlled. For example, in field of cycle design, these trends are currently being realized in the introduction of electronically controlled gear shifting. The motors, gears, and many other operational elements can be produced of a size and weight such that they may essentially replace existing gear shifting devices (often referred to as derailleurs) without a significant change from the traditional location, function, weight, and so forth of traditional, manual mechanical elements.
However, the motors and other elements of these electronic gear-shifting systems require power. This power still must come from traditional batteries. Thus, there is a need to find a convenient location to house those batteries on the cycle, such that they do not significantly change the layout, balance, aerodynamics, and so forth of the cycle. Furthermore, due to the cost of batteries, environmental concerns, and so on, it is common to utilize rechargeable batteries in such systems. Thus, there is a need to access a connection fitting to the rechargeable batteries, or a mechanism for their removal and placement in a charging cradle, so that they may be connected to a charge source.
Similarly, the use of a motor and gears for gear shifting on a cycle requires a control mechanism. The control mechanism typically includes electronic components such as an integrated circuit and discrete electronic elements mounted to a printed circuit board. While it is possible to make the control mechanism quite compact and lightweight, in many embodiments the control mechanism is still separate from the gear shifting actuators located at the gear rings (e.g., at the rear hub and crank assembly) of the cycle. Accordingly, in certain embodiments it is required to devise a convenient, protected location to which the control mechanism may be secured.
In one known design, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,886,947, the batteries and control mechanism are housed in a water bottle cage of the type mounted to bosses secured to a tube of the cycle. Power for other uses, such as lighting, have been disposed in various tubes of a cycle, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,842,714, 4,833,777. Furthermore, power in the form of batteries for such other uses have also been disposed in components removably attached to a cycle, such as light sources with associated batteries contained in a seat post as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,881.
However, existing designs for retaining power cells to or in a cycle have one or more disadvantages. In some designs, the power cells are relatively permanently mounted into the cycle structure. In other designs, multiple clips, threaded caps, or other mechanisms must be manipulated in order to extract the power cells in known designs. Still further, in some designs, tubes and other structures not traditionally part of a cycle outfitting are required to carry power cells, control circuitry, and so forth.